Tacos every day! Who says you can only eat tacos on Tuesday? At La Cantina de San Angel in Epcot’s Mexico pavilion, you can enjoy the handheld delights anytime. The sister restaurant to a DVC Duo favorite, San Angel Inn, La Cantina de San Angel is serving up a variety of Mexican street food favorites. We’ve dined at the quick-serve locations on multiple occasions; the big question is if it measures up to its bigger sister. We’re craving tacos, let’s eat!

Menu

Location

You can smell it a mile away. No yellow brick road needed to find La Cantina de San Angel. Walking towards one of our favorite pavilions you’ll see the iconic Mayan temple on the opposite side of it, you’ll find the quick-serve location. Attached to La Hacienda de San Angel, the cantina shares a kitchen with the restaurant. Looking up you’ll see an archway marking the entrance.

Seating is outside, with the majority of the tables uncover.
Seating can be limited. One of the things we like to do is order our food and
head towards the Norway pavilion where you’ll find a variety of high top tables
to enjoy your food.

Passholder Insights: Across from the high top tables is where the mariachi band performs. One of our favorite musical acts around the World Showcase.

Tacos!

Taco Time!

We’ve waited long enough it’s that time. La Cantina de San Angel is serving up three taco variations, chicken, beef, and fish. Each order contains three tacos served on homemade corn tortillas, with rice and black beans that are topped with queso fresca on the side. If you’re anything like Nate, you’ll want to try them all, and you can! They say variety is the spice of life, and with the tacos at La Cantina de San Angel, this is so true.

We know what you’re asking, which one is best. Like picking your favorite child, picking which taco at La Cantina de San Angel is the best is nearly impossible, as they’re all fabulous. Each of the tacos stands apart from the others in their own way. With the chicken taco, the marinated is the star of the show. Using a lime and cilantro base, the chicken is grilled to perfection then topped with a traditional red sauce. The chicken is tender and flavorful, and everything you look for in a traditional chicken street taco.

A California tradition, the fish taco is well-represented at La Cantina de Sa Angel. What makes the fish taco delightful is how well the habanero sauce works with the fried fish and crunchy slaw. The sauce definitely has a kick but does not overpower the flavors of the fish. The best part is the breading on the fish is light and not oily, the measure of a good fish taco.

Last, but definitely not least is the beef. Barbacoa to be exact. The shredded beef is slow-roasted to bring out the richness of the beef. Paired with the same red sauce as the chicken taco, the barbacoa is melt in your mouth tender. Ok, you twisted our arm, if we had to pick a favorite, this would be the one.

Passholder Insights: The seating area at La Cantina de San Angel is on our favorite places to watch Illuminations.

Nachos

Wait, There’s More!

This is no one-trick pony! For those moments where you’re craving something other tacos, like nachos or guacamole, La Cantina de San Angel is your spot. One of our favorite ways to take a break in the parks is to order up the nachos and gaze out over Seven Seas Lagoon. What can we say about the nachos other than, can we have some more.

Rounding out the food menu you’ll find an ensalada, empanadas, and chicken bowl. Combining romaine lettuce, arugula, red and green cabbage, the ensalada is topped with carrots, tomatoes, corn, and black beans. You can add your choice of chicken or barbacoa. Bringing it all together is the mustard lime vinaigrette.

Filled with cheese the empanadas are served with salsa verde, sour cream, and queso fresca on top, and paired with the same slaw as the fish tacos.

The chicken bowl is a larger version of the chicken taco without the corn tortillas.

Passholder Insights: A secret menu item is adding guacamole to
the nachos. All you need to do is ask the cast member. And yes, the guacamole
is extra.

Traditional Margarita

Washing It All Down

It wouldn’t be a Mexican fiesta without margaritas or
cervesa. You’ll find both frozen and the rocks margarita options at La Cantina
de San Angel. The question you’ll have to ask yourself is if you want to add a
floater or not. We won’t judge it’s
vacation!

The beer and wine options consist of two beers options which are Dos Equis and Tecate and Mexican sangria for wine.

Passholder Insights: For a wide variety of margarita options
head inside the Mayan temple to La Cava del Tequila. You can thank us later.

Our Thoughts

La Cantina de San Angel is definitely living up to its big sister. Over the years we’ve enjoyed this quick-serve location on almost every trip. Whether we’re in the mood for a larger meal or just looking to split an afternoon snack, it’s always tasty. We may have been known to make a special trip to World Showcase when that afternoon nacho craving hits. All this taco talk has got us hungry, we’ve got go!